Suggestion box: leave one, take one

by SUSAN GRIMBLY
Managing Editor

Kay Church writes:

Yes, I have learned by trial and error that my tone, speaking more slower, turning the TV off when needing to get my husband’s attention and allowing much longer to complete a task have helped me be a better caregiver to Bob with Alzheimer’s Disease, Also by going into Bob’s Alzheimer’s World!!!!! So thankful for sites like Alzlive.com that are helping me to become a better caregiver!

Anne Himmons writes:

My tip for carers for people with this illness is “go with the flow” and keep calm. When my husband first started with this illness and I was not fully aware, I argued with him, thinking he was just being argumentative. After his diagnosis, and the onset of psychosis, I found that if I just agreed with what he was saying, I could keep calm, and he was happier that he had my agreement.

Lori Smith writes:

“Mom almost burned the house down one night by putting the electric kettle on the stove element. I ordered the Cookstop Stovetop Fire Prevention device (http://www.cookstop.com/home.html). We programmed the stove that it could not be turned on after 7pm, and only at meal times during the day, and our worries about fires decreased substantially!”

“Dad still uses the device at home, because all of us can get busy and forget that an element is on (if there is no movement in a room for 10 min – or whatever you set, the stove element turns off). I could not have survived our journey without the website the Alzheimers Store http://www.alzstore.com/.”

If I Could Make One Suggestion

Alzlive.com runs a project called “If I Could Make One Suggestion,” from Alzheimer’s carers.

And we would love YOU, the experienced caregiver, to participate.

You’ve been there. You’ve done trial and error till, aha! some technique worked with eating, bathing, walking the hallways with your mom or spouse during the darkest hours.

Alzlive.com is looking for a quick word of advice: It can range from light and funny (“Go easy on the vermouth”) to serious and practical (“Keep a notebook of important names, addresses, numbers, doctors”).

Tips should be quick–just a short sentence or two.

Or, you could send us a short recorded video clip, from a smartphone or webcam, with your advice.

Would you be willing to send us a tip either in text format or video? We’d love to hear what you have to say!

PLEASE SHARE with others who might want to participate and who have something funny/useful/compelling to say. Join the community.

Please add your comment to the end of this article for others to read. Or go to Discussions and add under Just a Tip.

About the author

Susan Grimbly

Sue, the managing editor of Alzlive.com, has spent a long career in the press, including the newspapers The Toronto Star, The Financial Times and The…

Sue, the managing editor of Alzlive.com, has spent a long career in the press, including the newspapers The Toronto Star, The Financial Times and The Globe and Mail, where she oversaw Health, among a range of other features. Sue has a stepmother with dementia and helps her father Owen with support.